KARACHI: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sent suspect Rauf Akhtar Farooqi, ex-chairman for Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to Central Jail on judicial remand, who was arrested in a NAB reference of charges of corruption, corrupt practices and abuse of authority for illegally appointing 940 employees in KPT.

On January 11, 2019, investigation officer produced him before the court and informed that Rauf Akhtar Farooqi was arrested from outside Supreme Court of Pakistan-Islamabad after rejecting his pre-arrest bail application. He submitted that investigation has been completed and reference has been filed before the trial court, therefore, prosecution having no need for physical remand, therefore, the court may send him to jail on judicial remand.

Rauf Akhtar Farooqi had escaped from the Sindh High Court (SHC) after rejection bail application by a division bench.

According to the NAB reference that during the investigation, it was revealed that the above mentioned suspects and others are fully involved in charges of corruption, corrupt practices and abuse of authority for illegally appointing 940 employees in KPT in connivance with (the MQM’s) Babar Ghauri, the then minister for ports and shipping, he further informed that appointments were made in violation of KPT law, rules and regulations “without advertisement of vacancies, competitive process, age criteria, medical examination of appointees and in violation of basic formalities”.

Investigation officer had submitted that a large number of those people appointed who had a criminal record in serious cases such as “terrorism, premeditated murder and robbery” and that the illegal appointments resulted in losses to the national exchequer to the tune of Rs2.8 billion.

Investigation officer further stated that Javad Hanif and Sapraz, ex-director Gwadar are confined in Central Jail, Muhammad Sharif, Muhammad Iqbal and Amir Ali Brohi are on bail and Babar Khan Ghori and others are still absconders.